UK and the WNBA: What’s next for the Cats’ draft-eligible players, Benton and Adeyeye?
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On Monday, the WNBA will host the 28th draft in the league’s history.
Two former Kentucky Wildcats have filed for consideration for the 2023 WNBA Draft — fifth-year seniors Robyn Benton and Adebola Adeyeye. Neither are projected to be selected, but they still could get an opportunity to make a roster an undrafted free agent.
More than 110 players have declared for the draft and with just 12 teams in the league, each with a 12-player roster limit, there are far more players wanting to play in the WNBA than will actually be able to do so. It’s an all-too-familiar song and dance that, for many, pushes for deeper conversations on league expansion and investment.
Mark your calendars ️
The 2023 #WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm will take place April 10th at Spring Studios New York
Tune into the live broadcast on @espn from 7pm to 9pm/ET to watch the full slate of draft coverage pic.twitter.com/qRTNebxxoN— WNBA (@WNBA) February 23, 2023
Draft experts have had South Carolina’s generational talent, Aliyah Boston, projected as the top overall pick for quite some time — far longer than just this, her final season with the Gamecocks.
Other SEC standouts, such as Tennessee’s Jordan Horston and South Carolina’s Brea Beal and Laeticia Amihere, are expected to go in the first round. Gamecocks shooting guard Zia Cooke, as well as newly crowned national champion Alexis Morris of LSU and Georgia point guard Diamond Battles are projected to be taken in the second round.
With so much talent available, how do Wildcats Benton and Adeyeye stack up against what is a deeply competitive 2023 draft class?
Benton, who transferred to UK from Auburn prior to the start of the 2020-21 season, was the Wildcats’ leading scorer at 16.3 points per game in her final year of eligibility. Benton was a bright spot — also averaging 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists — during UK’s lackluster 12-19 season. The 5-foot-9 Conyers, Ga., native surpassed 1,000 career points with a 19-point outing in the Wildcats’ 64-60 loss at Georgia on Jan. 5. Out of high school, Benton was ranked as a five-star recruit and was listed by ESPN as the No. 17 player in the class of 2018.
Adeyeye transferred to UK for her final year of eligibility after four impact seasons at Buffalo. The 6-2 Ontario native averaged 4.6 points on 54.1% shooting from the field and grabbed 5.0 rebounds per game. She averaged 17.5 minutes across all 31 games for the Wildcats this season, and she made 12 starts.
Cats in the WNBA
To date, UK women’s basketball can boast seven alumnae who have been selected in the WNBA Draft:
2022: Rhyne Howard (Round 1/No. 1—Atlanta Dream).
2017: Evelyn Akhator (Round 1/No. 3—Dallas Wings) and Makayla Epps (Round 3/No. 33—Chicago Sky).
2014: DeNesha Stallworth (Round 3/No. 25—Connecticut Sun).
2013: A’dia Mathies (Round 1 /No. 10—Los Angeles Sparks).
2011: Victoria Dunlap (Round 1 /No. 11—Washington Mystics).
2000: Shantia Owens (Round 4/No. 53—Phoenix Mercury).
Top Cats @UKAthletics
Rhyne Howard joins an exclusive group of Wildcats to be drafted No. 1 overall️ pic.twitter.com/uKwCgCAHHn— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 11, 2022
Undrafted Wildcats
▪ Jennifer O’Neill, who played for UK from 2010-15, played 12 games with the Minnesota Lynx after making the team following a training camp contract.
▪ Linnae Harper, who played for UK from 2013-15 before transferring to Ohio State, went undrafted as a member of the 2018 draft class. Harper played for the Chicago Sky during the 2018 season and played in a single game with the Minnesota Lynx in 2021 before she was waived.
▪ Valerie Still, who played for UK from 1979-83, competed in the ABL for the Columbus Quest prior to the creation of the WNBA. Still then played the 1999 season with the Washington Mystics.
Monday
WNBA Draft
When: 7 p.m.
Where: New York City
TV: ESPN
